The brakes have been slammed on Leeds United's Championship campaign for the next ten or so days, as the international break places domestic football on ice.

With 12 games in the books, Marcelo Bielsa's men have dropped down into third place following their last-gasp draw with Brentford.

This the lowest Leeds have been in the table since the start of the season, but after the club were hit with a number of injuries since the last international break, to be just two points off the top of the table is still a very promising platform for this stage of the season.

Now that we're just over a quarter of a way into the season, it's a decent time to take stock and look at the big talking points of the campaign so far and we can expect in the upcoming weeks.

Here's a look a five talking points from the season so far...

Kalvin Phillips the poster boy for Bielsa's Leeds United

Kalvin Phillips has been one of Leeds' top performers this season

Before Bielsa arrived at Leeds United, we all did a lot of research on the man's methods. The pre-season training regimes were legendary, his tactic were poured over and we also learned that he had a habit of retaining players into new positions.

So what to expect? Tom Pearce as a ball-winning midfielder? Gjanni Alioski as a number 9? Liam Cooper a sweeper?

While midfielder Jamie Shackleton has been shown the ropes at right-back, the biggest change we've seen is the new role that Kalvin Phillips has been playing.

The 22-year-old has been primarily deployed as a deep holding midfielder, but will often drop into the centre-back position to create a three-man defence with the full-backs haring up the pitch when Leeds attack.

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And he's been a revelation, shielding the defence extremely effectively by breaking up attacks and then being extremely efficient with the ball.

His passing statistics show that he has completed 599 passes in his 12 appearances so far - two of which were cut short whe he was subbed off before half-time as Bielsa admitted that he got his tactics wrong. His 84.1 per cent passing accuracy is extremely high, considering some of the audacious passes he has attempted, such as the ball in for Kemar Roofe's goal against Rotherham.

Phillips' bright form has seen him linked with Premier League clubs and he is even said to be catching Gareth Southgate's eye, but with the Leeds squad to a man buying into life under Bielsa, and with the club already having sold Ronaldo Vieira in the summer, the prospects of Phillips abandoning his home-town team for the bright lights of the Premier League appear slim at this time.

Who next as Bielsa trusts in youth?

Jack Clarke was the latest Thorp Arch product to make his debut (Image: Alex Dodd/CameraSport)

Bielsa arrived in West Yorkshire with a reputation for placing his trust in young players and he has not disappointed in that respect.

Jamie Shackleton and Jack Clarke have both been handed their first-team debuts this season and there have been further opportunities for Ryan Edmondson and Tom Pearce. A total of six Thorp Arch products were in the last matchday squad against Brentford and it's likely to remain a good time to be a young player at Elland Road.

Shackleton has been particularly impressive, often playing at right-back, a position he was re-trained in during the summer following Bielsa's arrival.

So, who will be the next cab off the rank?

In terms of the displays we've seen in Carlos Corberan's under-23s sideso far this term, Hugo Diaz, who made the bench last season, has put in some assured displays at the back, with Finnish centre-back Aapo Halme looking the part after getting over last season's injury woes.

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Robbie Gotts has put in a series of terrier-like displays in the full-back position, while Jordan Stevens has obvious talent and could come into the reckoning after getting more u23s minutes under his belt.

Injuries take their toll - do Leeds need to act?

Roofe's goals have been missed (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

Earlier this week, we put out our player ratings for the season so far, which were based on the average marks each player has received over the season so far.

Leeds have picked up nine points from the 18 on offer since the last international and it's no coincidence that the three players who top these ratings have been missing in that period.

Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Gaetano Berardi have all been sidelined for the best part of six weeks now and it's hard to argue that their absences have not cost Leeds points.

While Pontus Jansson's improving form has meant Berardi's absence has not as big an issue over the last three games, the creativity that Hernandez brings and Roofe's cutting edge have been felt.

Jack Harrison has replaced Hernandez and has certainly given examples of the ability he has - the last-gasp Millwall equaliser, an excellent shift against Preston - but has not been able to hit those heights consistently.

Tyler Roberts' development has been hugely encouraging, but Roofe was named the best player in the division before his absence and he has been badly missed.

Tyler Roberts has netted three times in Roofe's absence (Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)

So, do Leeds need to do anything about this in January?

Yes and no. The striker position is decent health, with it being bad luck that Roofe and Bamford were both ruled out within days of each other. By the time Bamford returns, hopefully before the end of the year, Leeds can draw on a pool consisting of the former Boro man, Roofe, Roberts and Ryan Edmondson, plus the likes of Izzy Brown and Jack Clarke able to fill in up front.

The defence looks reasonably well stocked too, with Berardi's return after the international break likely to throw up a selection issue between the Swiss, Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper for Bielsa at the back, with the likes of Conor Shaughnessy, Kalvin Phillips and Luke Ayling able to fill in at centre-back.

The biggest question mark is on the wing, where Hernandez's creativity has perhaps been missed more than anything over the past few weeks.

Hernandez will turn 34 before the end of the season and after his injuries niggles last season, cannot be relied to be a week-in week-out player in this Leeds side, meaning Leeds would be wise to at least keep one eye out for players who fit that certain bill during the January window.

Given Bielsa's insistence that he continues to work with a streamlined squad, the emphasis in January will no doubt be on quality over quantity, so expect Leeds to be reactive to potential opportunities.

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Victor Orta's second act

During the bleak final few weeks of last season, Victor Orta was not a popular figure among Leeds United fans. For his sake, I hope he didn't search his name on Twitter. Whether it was Felix Wiedwald watching a ball bounce over him, Jay-Roy Grot's first touch failing him or another missed Caleb Ekuban one-on-one, everything was usually the Leeds director of football's fault.

But fast forward to the present day, with the biggest-profile managerial appointment in the country, a summer of quality signings and the clearing of a lot of deadwood under his belt and Orta is now gain a reputation as something of a cult hero at Elland Road.

First he was pictured in the away end of Hillsborough wearing an 'Against Modern Football' hoodie and then the Sky Sports cameras captured his reaction to Pontus Jansson's 88th minute equaliser against Brentford and all of a sudden social media is a much friendlier place for Orta to inhabit.

Should Leeds continue their upward progress then expect Orta's celebrations to be front and centre come the end of the season.

For the most part, Leeds have looked fitter than their rivals, with the late equalisers against Millwall and Brentford both indicators of their superior physical condition.

We know that Bielsa is not a tinkerman with his team selection, with him naming an unchanged XI for five games in a row before Barry Douglas' injury and you get the feeling he would be sticking with the same side the beat Stoke City on the opening weekend if he could.

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That has meant one of Bielsa's main concerns has been his fringe players not getting enough minutes, with the Argentine using the under-23s to feature the likes of Jamal Blackman, Lewis Baker, Stuart Dallas and others.

And while a couple of players - especially Samu Saiz - look like they need a rest over the international break, this doesn't yet look like a side that's anywhere near ready to roll over and it would be underestimating Bielsa to think that he was not readily planning for this.